China on course to become 'world's most Christian nation' within 15 years

The number of Christians in Communist China is growing so steadily that it by 2030 it could have more churchgoers than America.

It is said to be China's biggest church and on Easter Sunday thousands of worshippers will flock to this Asian mega-temple to pledge their allegiance – not to the Communist Party, but to the Cross.

The 5,000-capacity Liushi church, which boasts more than twice as many seats as Westminster Abbey and a 206ft crucifix that can be seen for miles around, opened last year with one theologian declaring it a "miracle that such a small town was able to build such a grand church".

The £8 million building is also one of the most visible symbols of Communist China's breakneck conversion as it evolves into one of the largest Christian congregations on earth...


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/10776023/China-on-course-to-become-worlds-most-Christian-nation-within-15-years.html

An enigma within an enigma.

Original Quill wrote:An enigma within an enigma.

Quite. Must say I found this surprising. Then again, I suppose they've been denied religion or anyting to believe in for decades, so I suppose it's something new. Would have thought Budhism or Taoism or something would have been nearer to their culture than Christianity though.

Well, it's all started by the words of Karl Marx: Religion is the opiate of the masses. This led so-called communist states to deinstitutionalize churches and religions.

Hell, Henry VIII did it too.

  ONE thing that often stalls such fanciful long-term predictions is that many expectations by non-experts (e.g. the "analysis" by the typical Daily Telegraph journalists..), won't necessarily foliow a straight line progression forever...

There are that many outside factors that could change such an outcome over the next 15 years ~ including social, traditional, political and economic conditions..

THIS story, to me, sounds reminiscent of a lot of wishful-thinking stories that emanate from the more Evangelical "born again" corners of the USA's Bible belt !  

you also have to consider that with over 1 billion people even if only 1 in 4 are Christians that is more than the entire US population, so it is easy for China or India to claim these titles just because of sheer volume for people

veya_victaous wrote:you also have to consider that with over 1 billion people even if only 1 in 4 are Christians that is more than the entire US population, so it is easy for China or India to claim these titles just because of sheer volume for people

Not to mention that Christianity is the cheeseburger and fries of religions. That is to say, if you believe in that miraculous moment when you're "saved," you can go ahead and plan on an eternity of unimagined pleasure after you die. No other religion has that big Hollywood promise at the end, not even Islam with its venerated promise of plenty of virgins to deflower.

Ben_Reilly wrote:

veya_victaous wrote:you also have to consider that with over 1 billion people even if only 1 in 4 are Christians that is more than the entire US population, so it is easy for China or India to claim these titles just because of sheer volume for people

Not to mention that Christianity is the cheeseburger and fries of religions. That is to say, if you believe in that miraculous moment when you're "saved," you can go ahead and plan on an eternity of unimagined pleasure after you die. No other religion has that big Hollywood promise at the end, not even Islam with its venerated promise of plenty of virgins to deflower.

What do women Muslims get promised then?

I dont know about an eternity of unimagined pleasure, for me its about knowing that death is not the end

Ben_Reilly wrote:

veya_victaous wrote:you also have to consider that with over 1 billion people even if only 1 in 4 are Christians that is more than the entire US population, so it is easy for China or India to claim these titles just because of sheer volume for people

Not to mention that Christianity is the cheeseburger and fries of religions. That is to say, if you believe in that miraculous moment when you're "saved," you can go ahead and plan on an eternity of unimagined pleasure after you die. No other religion has that big Hollywood promise at the end, not even Islam with its venerated promise of plenty of virgins to deflower.

Sound like you dislike Christianity and think it's more rubbish than any other religion!

Don't you think that "committing suicide and taking other non-believers with you and you'll have eternal happiness and lots of virgins" is rather Hollywood then?

eddie wrote:

Ben_Reilly wrote:

Not to mention that Christianity is the cheeseburger and fries of religions. That is to say, if you believe in that miraculous moment when you're "saved," you can go ahead and plan on an eternity of unimagined pleasure after you die. No other religion has that big Hollywood promise at the end, not even Islam with its venerated promise of plenty of virgins to deflower.

Sound like you dislike Christianity and think it's more rubbish than any other religion!

Don't you think that "committing suicide and taking other non-believers with you and you'll have eternal happiness and lots of virgins" is rather Hollywood then?

Don't you just love the double standards? As long as someone falls within one of the accepted victim categories they can do what they want, commit what atrocities they want, and it'll be excused, or ignored. Whereas Christians, specially white ones, can get massacred, butchered, raped and genocided by their "victims" and, well, that's sort of okay, let's not mention it...

eddie wrote:

Ben_Reilly wrote:

Not to mention that Christianity is the cheeseburger and fries of religions. That is to say, if you believe in that miraculous moment when you're "saved," you can go ahead and plan on an eternity of unimagined pleasure after you die. No other religion has that big Hollywood promise at the end, not even Islam with its venerated promise of plenty of virgins to deflower.

Sound like you dislike Christianity and think it's more rubbish than any other religion!

Don't you think that "committing suicide and taking other non-believers with you and you'll have eternal happiness and lots of virgins" is rather Hollywood then?

To be honest, I think ex-Christians are the harshest on their own previous faith, just as you find with ex-Muslims Eddie. The reality is also the vast majority of victims to suicide bombings are Muslims themselves, which many people neglect this fact.

All the religions have had people try to justify violence using their faith with the Bible and the Quran being no different in this aspect.




Nobody ignores Tess the Christians getting persecuted either and you bring in the colour of the skin which has no relevance being to the fact Christians come from all over the world, where all such crimes and abuse is wrong, what people get fed up of is poor lame arguments used to justify being prejudice against a whole group, as you do.

Can you be an 'ex-Muslim'? Thought that club was for life

Nems wrote:Can you be an 'ex-Muslim'? Thought that club was for life

http://ex-Muslim.org.uk/

Didge wrote:

Nems wrote:Can you be an 'ex-Muslim'? Thought that club was for life

http://ex-Muslim.org.uk/

Wow I never knew they existed. Cheers didge, manifesto makes for interesting reading.

Nems wrote:

Didge wrote:

http://ex-Muslim.org.uk/

Wow I never knew they existed. Cheers didge, manifesto makes for interesting reading.

Like I said and it shows, ex-members of faiths are some of the harshest critics of their former faith, which was the point I was making, as I believe Ben was a Christian

Nems wrote:Can you be an 'ex-Muslim'? Thought that club was for life

Yes but they generally go into hiding.
Read their reasons why they leave....

Nems wrote:

Ben_Reilly wrote:

Not to mention that Christianity is the cheeseburger and fries of religions. That is to say, if you believe in that miraculous moment when you're "saved," you can go ahead and plan on an eternity of unimagined pleasure after you die. No other religion has that big Hollywood promise at the end, not even Islam with its venerated promise of plenty of virgins to deflower.

What do women Muslims get promised then?

I dont know about an eternity of unimagined pleasure, for me its about knowing that death is not the end

Intriguing question. The men get 26-virgin women, but that does not seem appropriate for the female martyr. Maybe 26 castrated men, so they can get some sleep at night.   

Tesstacious wrote:

eddie wrote:

Ben_Reilly wrote:

Not to mention that Christianity is the cheeseburger and fries of religions. That is to say, if you believe in that miraculous moment when you're "saved," you can go ahead and plan on an eternity of unimagined pleasure after you die. No other religion has that big Hollywood promise at the end, not even Islam with its venerated promise of plenty of virgins to deflower.

Sound like you dislike Christianity and think it's more rubbish than any other religion!

Don't you think that "committing suicide and taking other non-believers with you and you'll have eternal happiness and lots of virgins" is rather Hollywood then?

Don't you just love the double standards?  As long as someone falls within one of the accepted victim categories they can do what they want, commit what atrocities they want, and it'll be excused, or ignored.  Whereas Christians, specially white ones, can get massacred, butchered, raped and genocided by their "victims" and, well, that's sort of okay, let's not mention it...

You do read an awful lot of utter bullshit into a simple opinion from me. I have never excused brutality from any religious nut.

Original Quill wrote:

Nems wrote:

Ben_Reilly wrote:

Not to mention that Christianity is the cheeseburger and fries of religions. That is to say, if you believe in that miraculous moment when you're "saved," you can go ahead and plan on an eternity of unimagined pleasure after you die. No other religion has that big Hollywood promise at the end, not even Islam with its venerated promise of plenty of virgins to deflower.

What do women Muslims get promised then?

I dont know about an eternity of unimagined pleasure, for me its about knowing that death is not the end

Intriguing question.  The men get 26-virgin women, but that does not seem appropriate for the female martyr.  Maybe 26 castrated men, so they can get some sleep at night.   

From what I understand, the maniac-masters tell female martyrs that they're promised Heaven with their husbands. Oh, their husbands still get the virgins, but the wife will be the prettiest, and venerated. Whoop-de-fuck.

Nems wrote:Can you be an 'ex-Muslim'? Thought that club was for life

I thought everyone had heard of Salman Rushdie and the fatwa against him  ::hdintowll:: ::hdintowll:: ::hdintowll:: 

Ben_Reilly wrote:

Nems wrote:Can you be an 'ex-Muslim'? Thought that club was for life

I thought everyone had heard of Salman Rushdie and the fatwa against him  ::hdintowll:: ::hdintowll:: ::hdintowll:: 

Well yes that was kind of the point Ben, dont bang your head against the wall, you will do yourself a mischief

Nems wrote:

Ben_Reilly wrote:

I thought everyone had heard of Salman Rushdie and the fatwa against him  ::hdintowll:: ::hdintowll:: ::hdintowll:: 

Well yes that was kind of the point Ben, dont bang your head against the wall, you will do yourself a mischief

Perhaps it's part of his religion   

eddie wrote:

Nems wrote:

Well yes that was kind of the point Ben, dont bang your head against the wall, you will do yourself a mischief

Perhaps it's part of his religion   

Good point!

Nems wrote:

Ben_Reilly wrote:

I thought everyone had heard of Salman Rushdie and the fatwa against him  ::hdintowll:: ::hdintowll:: ::hdintowll:: 

Well yes that was kind of the point Ben, dont bang your head against the wall, you will do yourself a mischief

Sometimes a bit of head banging can be fun.  ::hdintowll::    

Stephenmarra wrote:

Nems wrote:

Well yes that was kind of the point Ben, dont bang your head against the wall, you will do yourself a mischief

Sometimes a bit of head banging can be fun.  ::hdintowll::    

Ah now, if it involves a bit of Lemmy thats diferent

Nems wrote:

Stephenmarra wrote:
Sometimes a bit of head banging can be fun.  ::hdintowll::    

Ah now, if it involves a bit of Lemmy thats diferent

Now that we can agree on !  

Stephenmarra wrote:

Nems wrote:

Ah now, if it involves a bit of Lemmy thats diferent

Now that we can agree on !  

  ::rockout:: 

Tesstacious wrote:

Original Quill wrote:An enigma within an enigma.

Quite.  Must say I found this surprising.  Then again, I suppose they've been denied religion or anyting to believe in for decades, so I suppose it's something new.  Would have thought Budhism or Taoism or something would have been nearer to their culture than Christianity though.

Careful not to conflate two different things Tess. Even at 160 million church goers in 2025 that would still count for less than 10% of the whole Chinese population. Of those Chinese who actually are religious, most indeed are Taoist and Buddhist (though of the Chinese people I know, all of whom are university educated, they are entirely unbelieving); and by 2025 most Chinese people who are will religious will still by far be Taoist and Buddhist.

10% of the population of China is still bigger than most populations of any individual country